SciFi Biogel/Biofoam is marching towards reality

[quote]The device consists of three, syringe-style applicators containing 92 compressed, cellulose sponges that have an absorbent coating. [b]The sponges expand and swell to fill the wound cavity, after approximately 20 seconds upon contact with water from blood or bodily fluid. This creates a temporary physical barrier to blood flow.[/b] The number of sponges needed for effective hemorrhage control will vary depending on the size and depth of the wound. Up to three applicators may be used on a patient. The tablet-shaped sponges are each 9.8 millimeters in diameter and 4 to 5 millimeters in height. They can absorb 3 milliliters of blood or body fluid. An applicator filled with 92 sponges, therefore, can absorb about 300 milliliters of fluid. The sponges cannot be absorbed by the body and all sponges must be removed from the body before a wound is closed. For ease of visualization and to confirm removal of every sponge, [b]each sponge contains a marker visible via X-ray[/b]. “XSTAT is a novel device that can be rapidly deployed, providing fast-acting hemorrhage control to stabilize a wounded patient for transport,” said Christy Foreman, director of the Office of Device Evaluation at the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health. “This will be an important new treatment option for our nation’s military to treat injured soldiers who may not be in close proximity to a medical facility.”[/quote] Once it can dissolve in the human body, and can be delivered in liquid form, we have Halo Biofoam on our hands.